Caster-oil soap and process of making castor-oil soap



Patented June 24, 1930 PN ES PATENT- oFr1cE.

'W'YLY BILLING, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, A SSIGNOR TO THE WM. S. MERBELL COM- PANY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO OASTER-OIL SOAP AND PROCESS OF MAKING CASTOR-OIL SOAP No Drawing.

[6 they are used for treatment of various diseases, illnesses and infections.

Certain of these soaps, although soluble trated solution by addition of distilled .10 water, on cooling, develop into a transparent stifi, firm gel, of high viscosity.

One of the objects in making concentrated soap is to have soap in a form that can be conveniently diluted with water to weak 1 solutions;

It is obvious that a gel as indicated will require some time and patience to again take it up in water for forming the weak solution. These weak solutions, while being perfectly fluid, readily attack glass or vitreous surfaces, and in so doing are precipitated, thereby lowering the activity of the solution. Further, the weak solution is hazy, cloudy and turbid.

An object of 'my invention is to produce a soap that may be given a concentrated fluid or paste form providing a weak solution that will be perfectly clear or transparent and which will not attack glass or vitreous surfaces, with the effects previously noted. Although I shall explain my discovery and invention as applied to castor oil soap, and in so explaining the invention and the principles involved, the application of my invention to other soaps and analogous'or parallel chemical processes readily suggest I themselves, wherefore I do not limit myself i to the specific or exact substances, proportions, temperatures and steps that I am- 40 about to enumerate. In the application of my invention to castor oil soap it should be borne in mind that at the present time castor oil soap is not' commonly found in commerce because no one has shown any advantages in its use. Recently however, a great deal of work has been done to show that castor oil soap has a very definite germicidal power as well as a marked effect in neutralizing bacterial toxins.

Application" filed April 14, 1926. Serial No. 102,078.

It is an object of'my invention to so pre pare castor oil soap that its stated valuable properties may beutilized. To do this the substance should be in such form that it will readily or freely mix with water, and when so admixed" will not attack glass and y be thereby precipitated. The significance in the first instance, if made into a' concenof this is evident when considering that in hospitals, in clinics, and in ordinary household uses or products of this nature, enamel ware is commonly used for holding solutions. Enamel ware consists of a vitreous or glass surface upon metal.

Castor oil soap is a very water soluble soap, in fact much more so than most other soaps. Potassium soaps-are, as a rule, more water soluble than sodium soaps of the corresponding fatt acids, but even castor oil sodium soap is ighly soluble. In explaining my invention I shall explain same as it relates to potassium soaps although it is 'to be understood, that the substance of my invention applies likewise to sodium soaps.

Heretofore, in endeavoring to make a concentrated solution of castor oil soap it has been found that castor oil soap, similar to other soaps, when admixed with distilled water in a proportion of about 25% to 40% soap, would give a stiff firm gel; for example, in making a 40% solution, the same on cooling gives a perfectly transparent gel of high viscosity. One of the objects in makmg a concentrated soap is to have it in a form which would be conveniently diluted to a weak solution. It isobvious that such a gel as is formed by the40% solution, would require a certain amount of time and patlence to again tak it up in water and thus.

form a weak solution. Furthermore, weak solutions, for example 1 to 2%, and inwhich some of the 40% solution has been utilized, while being perfectly fluid, readily attacks glass, and in so doing the soap is to some extent precipitated; The result is that the activity of the solution is therefore materially lowered. V I

Inpracticing my invention, I saponify castor oil by the exact equivalent amount of caustic soda, or potash, for obtaining a true neutral'soap. Thisneutral soap has the disfrom the-castor oil, as a result of which the gel will undergo a liquefaction. If the small amounts of free fatty acids of the source indicated' are added while the solution is hot,

n the mass will cool off 'as a" liquid. This li'quefied gel or Solution resulting from the addition of the free fatty .acids'upon. the

cooling off of'themass when diluted, pro-- vides a solution'that remains perfectly clear.

Further'this diluted solution does not attack glass.

* I have found that the followingstepsand proportions give desirable results.

In making a,4 solution I saponify '80 1 grams of castor oil, with sufficient quantity When tests show that the soda is all used up,-

I' of sodium hydroxide, which usually amounts to about. grams. ,'The sodium-hydroxide.

is dissolved in about cc. of water and added tothe castor oil with gentle heat of approximately 100 Fahrenheit. When the oil starts toisaponify it goes very rapidly and froths. To-pre vent'it from boiling over I addonly a little caustic soda at a time or,

else keep the mixture barely warm not hot.

I dissolve to gram of'causticsoda in a few cc. of water and add-this a little at time, until the soapdissolves clear" in dis-.

tilled water, which isvery slightly alkaline in alcoholic solution to phenolphthalein.

I then prepare the fatty-acids of castor oil by completely 'saponifying about 80 grams grams, the whole ofwhich is dissolved in sufiicijent quantity to make a dilute soap soallow same to cool. in this process about 5grams of fatty acids lution of approximately 5%. .I then throw: the fatty acids out of solution byadding an, excess of si'il'phuric acid.- About 14 grains of the 98% sulphuric acid are required.

- The fatty acids will rise to the surface and the aqueous solutionlis drawn off. from underneath. The resulting fatty acids are washedby water. several times to remove the sulphates and acid. In this way. I obtain 7 5" grams of the fatty acids. I-now add about 8 grams of this fatty acid mixture'to' the.

soapfsoluti on as previously described and are used up in neutralizing the slight excess of caustic which I added, thereby leaving about 3 grams additional of fattyacids present. These amounts vary of course with the I I excesses, of caustic which is present.

I then add sufiicient quantity of water to give about 200 grams of solution containing 40% of castor oil soap. This gives a strong solution v of castor oil soap, which mixes readily with water and gives dilutions with great ease, and furthermore, these dilutions do not attack glass as the ordinary castor oilsoap does.

process.

I have found that -I- have used potassiumfhydroxide with equal success but prefer the useofsodium' hydroxide because of its substantially more healthy action upon humantissue. I- may purified acid may'be used'as a basis of making a 40% solution-of sodium ricinoleate'of greater purity than is obtainable by direct saponification of castor oil. In this way I have obtained. a 40% solution of :pure or As 'such the. purified or partlypractically pure sodium ricin'oleate, which, i

has a;l-l the advantages of fluidity, clarity andnomsolvent action'on glass, which was. a explained for the'castor -oil'soap. f

1. As a new article of manufacture a saponified castor oil in -aliquid form and 'com prising approximately 25% water, sodium hydroxide and free fatty acids to 40% castor. app o l 75% to 160% distilled of castor oil in excess of thexamountnecessaryto complete reaction of the sodium hydroxide.

2'. The process which. comprises saponifying 80' grams of castor oil with approximately '10 grams ofv sodium hydroxide dissolved inwater and adding to the castor ,oil, with gentle heat approximately of castor oil with sodium. hydroxide 11 Fahrenheit, and adding small quantities of caustic soda from time to time until theres ulting mixture dissolves clear-in distilled water, slightly alkaline in alcoholic solution to phenolfphthalein and adding-thereto *8:

gramsof attyacids and permitting same to cool.

v 3.. As a new article of manufacture, a sa{ .ponified castor 'oil in a liquid form and comprising approximately 25%"t0 40% cas-" tor oil, approximately'7'5% to'60% distilled water, alkaline metal hydroxide'and free.

fatty acids ofcastor oilin excessof the amount necessary to complete reaction of the alltaline metalhydroxide.

.. 4 .-Asa new article of manufacture,-a clear concentrated fluid castor oil soap and uble in water by the presence of an excess of free fatty acid of castor oil.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name thislOth day of April,

; WYLY M.- BILLING.

being a true 'neu'tralsoap liquefied by'the addition of free .fatty acidsderivedfrom castor oil and being readily solubleiinwater' 

